Beef exports from Argentina have reached a record level, with official data showing the highest amount of foreign sales in the last 57 years.
Data from the Livestock Analysis Coordination shows that sales reached 82,548 equivalent tonnes of beef for the month of February, surpassing the previous month’s record.
The data was based on analysis from Argentina’s National Food Safety and Quality Service (SENASA); Dirección Nacional de Control Comercial Agropecuario (DNCCA); and the National Institute of Statistics and Census of Argentina (INDEC).
The cumulative total for the January-February 2024 two-month period has also set a record, with sales reaching 160,000 tonnes.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries in Argentina has said that the increases in sales are due to a change in export policy implemented by the national government.
The ministry stated that the strategy is “effective” and has opened new opportunities in the international market, benefiting producers, exporters and the economy.
Argentina exports
The Argentinian government had imposed a 30-day ban on beef exports in 2021, in a bid to lower domestic beef prices by temporarily increasing the domestic supply, according to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The policy placed emphasis on adding value to livestock chains, especially in the beef sector.
The implementation exempted exports to markets where Argentina had negotiated quotas.
A livestock report from the USDA shows that Argentine beef exports in 2024 are projected up at 920,000 tonnes carcass weight equivalent.
This is a result of larger beef output than earlier projected as the cattle herd is revised upwards because the 2023 calving season produced better results than estimated earlier.
Amid increasing exports, beef consumption within the country has declined year-on-year, according to the data.